Tag Archives: 11 Whip

Forensic Astrology & Cartomancy: Missing Child A.J. Freund

It may come as no surprise to some of you that it took a Missing Child case to drag me back to Living with Cards.

Little five year old A.J. Freund from Crystal Lake, Illinois has been dead for two weeks now and I’m still brooding over the disturbing facts surrounding his case. I didn’t know A.J. There was nothing I could have done to prevent his death. Still, the little guy got to me. Enough to make me draw up his Reported Missing and Last Seen charts last week and throw a few cards. I didn’t like what I saw but as I said, there was absolutely nothing I could have done about it. Andrew (A.J.) Freund was already dead by then, murdered by his parents. That’s what the charts and cards said. The police confirmed a day later via televised press conference.

Missing child A.J. Freund, age 5, reported missing from his Crystal Lake, Illinois home on April 18, 2019. Found dead April 24, 2019 in a shallow grave, wrapped in plastic. http://livingwithcards.com
Andrew “A.J.” Freund, age 5 reported missing from his Crystal Lake, IL home on April 18, 2019. Found dead April 24, 2019 in a shallow grave, wrapped in plastic.

 

The Facts

For those of you who are into facts, here’s the timeline:

  1. June 2012: first family contact with the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services – more than a year before A.J. was born – when his mother was investigated for drug abuse and neglect of a foster child.
  2. October 2013: two days after A.J. was born both he and his mother tested positive for opiates and benzodiazepines  causing DCFS to remove A.J. from the home for the first two years of his life.
  3. After his return to the family, DCFS intervened multiple times, responding to reports of abuse and neglect of A.J. and his siblings. All of these investigations were “closed … due to lack of evidence.”
  4. December 2018: four months before his disappearance and death, A.J. wound up in the Emergency Room with “cuts, welts and bruises” that were, at first, attributed to a snarl-up with the family dog. But an ER doctor who had examined A.J. told DCFS what the child had allegedly told him: “Maybe someone hit me with a belt. Maybe Mommy didn’t mean to hurt me.” Eventually, similar to previous investigations, the abuse allegation was deemed unfounded due to lack of evidence.
  5. DCFS was called in again when A.J. allegedly went missing. According to Freund Sr.’s 911 call to police on Thursday, April 18, 2019, the last time he saw his son was the evening before, Wednesday, April 17th, “around 9:30” when the child went to bed.
  6. After determining a kidnapping was unlikely, police attention turned to the parents. By Tuesday, April 23rd, public reports came out that canine units had hit on A.J.’s scent in the trunk of his parents’ car. By the next morning media outlets reported that multiple police vehicles had converged in Woodstock, IL, seven miles northwest of A.J.’s home. They removed a mattress and a shovel. They found the little boy’s body in a shallow grave, wrapped in plastic.
  7. On April 24, 2019, both parents were arrested and charged with first degree murder and are being held in jail on $5 million bond. A.J.’s younger brother was placed in a relative’s care. Court documents allege that A.J.’s parents killed him by making him take long, cold showers and beating him. An autopsy determined A.J. died of blunt force trauma to his head. He had been struck multiple times. Date of death was determined to be on or about April 15, 2019, three days prior to the 911 call.

[Sources: WTTW Chicago, USA Today ]

It was just as hard for me to write out the timeline above as it probably was for you to read it. I had to step away from the keyboard and collect my thoughts. Now that I’ve had a moment to clear my head, I’ll go over some of the astrological highlights, followed by the cartomancy of this case:

Astrological Highlights

A.J. had already been missing for a few days when I decided to draw up the charts. I really didn’t want to go there. Just from the news that had already been released, I had a bad feeling, made even worse when I learned that canine units had picked up A.J.’s scent in the trunk of his parents’ car. With so many reports of abuse already public and made factually available, who needed an astrology chart or a card deck to figure out what had probably happened? Despite this, I felt compelled to cast the charts.

The first chart I cast was the Reported Missing to Police, for which I had an exact time due to the fact the 911 call was released to the public. A.J.’s father called the Crystal Lake, IL Police at 9:04 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2019 to report his son missing. He stated that he had last seen A.J. the night before, “around 9:30 when he went to bed.”

A.J. Freund Reported Missing Astrology chart. Missing child astrology chart, forensic horary astrology. http://livingwithcards.com
A.J. Freund, age 5, Reported Missing from Crystal Lake, Illinois 9:04 a.m. Thursday, April 18, 2019 forensic astrology chart with markups – Living with Cards © 2019.

 

I am not going to go into microscopic detail regarding this chart, but I do want to point out a few things. For those of you who are not astrologically oriented I will highlight in red plain English observations. First, notice the degree on the ASCENDANT, 22 Gemini. This is the Kill or Be Killed degree according to Serbian astrologer Nikola Stojanovic (22° of any sign). I have seen this degree prominent in other cases involving death/ murder. [The Ascendant degree is associated with death/ murder.]

In a Reported Missing chart for children I usually assign the ruler of the 5th House to the child. This is because the 5th House rules children. In this chart, A.J. is symbolized by Mercury, the ruler of the 5th House of Children. A missing child (or person) can also be signified by the Moon. Here, the Moon is intercepted (hidden) in the 5th House of Children and quindecile (165°, an aspect of obsession/ compulsion) both the Sun (the event) and Mercury, the ruler of the 5th House of Children. [The Moon, which symbolizes the child, is “hidden” in the chart and thus the child may be “hidden” in reality since in astrology, “As above, so below.”]

Notice Mercury (A.J.) is conjunct Chiron, an asteroid symbolizing woundedness. In forensic astrology charts Chiron often is connected with death.

Further, Sun (the event) is conjunct Uranus (accidents) in the 11th House of Circumstances Beyond One’s Control. This gives me the sense some sort of “accident” happened. With the MARS/SATURN midpoint at 01° Aries smack conjunct Lord 5 the Child Mercury, I fear the “accident” involved a brutal attack. (MARS/SATURN is a cruel, heartless, brutal testimony in forensic astrology.)

The Arabic Part of Death at 19 Virgo is exactly opposite Black Moon Lilith 19 Pisces and parallel Chiron, two more strong death testimonies.

But it is the nodal axis and attending planets that disturb me the most: the Nodes are at 21 Cancer/Capricorn, with the South Node in Capricorn conjunct Saturn and Pluto. All three of these are death indicators — South Node, Saturn and Pluto. And this entire aspect pattern is exactly square A.J.’s natal Sun at 21° Libra. This is compelling evidence of death.

Usually, the Reported Missing chart will tell the tale. I also look at the Last Seen chart, if available, which should agree with and/or at least complement the Reported Missing chart. I’m not going to show that chart but would like to mention that the alleged Last Seen time of “around 9:30” p.m. when the child supposedly went to bed had me beyond suspicious that the father was fabricating a tale. 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 in Crystal Lake, Illinois gives an ASCENDANT of 20°31′ Scorpio — mere minutes past the malefic (evil) 19th degree of Scorpio. This degree is referred to as Serpentis, “the accursed degree of the cursed sign.” In over 20 years of examining astrology charts from a forensic perspective, I have never seen a positive ending when this degree is prominent.

 

The Lenormand Card Reading

After evaluating the testimonies given by the charts I decided to throw a few Lenormand cards. I was rattled enough to ask a compound question, which can be tricky to evaluate.

Exact question: “Where Is He? / What Happened?”

 

Lenormand cards drawn for Missing Child A.J. Freund, reported missing from Crystal Lake, Illinois April 18, 2019: 17 Storks - 08 Coffin - 36 Cross - 04 House - 11 Whip http://livingwithcards.com
Lenormand cards drawn for Missing Child A.J. Freund, reported missing from Crystal Lake, Illinois April 18, 2019: 17 Storks – 08 Coffin – 36 Cross – 04 House – 11 Whip

 

Card deckMlle Lenormand Cartomancy Deck of 36 Cards

I have to admit Storks threw me off a bit. Generally a positive card, it couldn’t be here. Not with Coffin, Cross and Whip in the spread. I decided it referred to repeated abuse (Storks + Whip) since Storks can indicate repetitions and recurrences according to Anna K., a published Lenormand deck creator. The rest of the cards told me that abuse (Whip) in the home (House) led to death (Coffin, Cross).

Andy Boroveshengra, author of Thirty Six Cards: An Introduction to the Petit Lenormand, suggested that Storks + Coffin would indicate grief over a change or past error and Coffin + Cross would be a total loss as a consequence.

Andy’s interpretation really hit me hard and I appreciate that he took the time to offer his insight on my reading. Now, in retrospect and knowing the outcome, I can also see Storks as an indicator of a change of location, which actually is what happened. I think this was Lenormand’s answer to the “Where Is He?” portion of my question. Storks is connected to moving, moving house. The parents moved A.J. to another location after allegedly killing him within the premises. So the cards gave Storks + Coffin, change of location necessitated by death.

Concluding Thoughts

In the hope that perhaps in some small way I could help prevent even one tragedy similar to what happened two weeks ago in Crystal Lake, Illinois, I’d like to call your attention to one more astrological testimony I observed in the charts: little A.J. was born with the asteroid Dejanira partile conjunct (in the same degree) his natal Sun. Dejanira is an asteroid of victimhood and the Sun represents one’s very life. So what we have here is potential for a lifetime of victimization. While this particular conjunction does not and would not result in such a horrible outcome for everyone having the placement, it could be a serious indicator of abuse that perhaps should be investigated should it be noted in someone’s chart. I’ll go as far as to suggest that such investigation could be critical in helping save some other child’s life.

 

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

 

 

Reversed Lenormand Cards: What Do They Mean? 31 Sun, 10 Scythe, 33 Key, 26 Book, 11 Whip, 17 Storks

Unlike Tarot cards, Lenormand cards are not meant to be read in the reversed position. You are supposed to make sure all the cards in your deck face one way before you shuffle and draw. If despite this, one or more cards show up in the reversed position, you are supposed to disregard this and read the card(s) in the upright position.

At the risk of horrifying the Lenormand experts, I have actually found the information gained from analyzing reversed Lenormand cards to be amazingly useful. I’ll show you why in a minute…

As I’ve probably mentioned before, I like to use the Lenormand cards when I need or want a “second opinion.” Unlike a friend, family member or co-worker, the Lenormand cards have no hidden agenda or bias concerning their answer. They won’t try to spare your feelings. If they “tell” you your idea/ decision/ direction/ plan is unrealistic or ill-advised, they’ll almost always tell you why. And in my experience, they will almost always be spot on.

A couple days ago, I asked the Lenormand cards for insight on how to get started with some ideas I had. I wanted to know specifically how I could put my ideas into action. I drew the following cards:

Q: How Can I Get Started?

Piatnik Lenormand 31 Sun - 10 Scythe Rx - 33 Key - 26 Book Rx - 11 Whip - 17 Storks Rx
31 Sun – 10 Scythe Rx – 33 Key – 26 Book Rx – 11 Whip – 17 Storks Rx

Piatnik Jeu du destin Mlle Lenormand Cartomancy Deck of 36 Cards

I was surprised to see the reversed cards. I always mix my cards a certain way and they rarely change direction. My first impulse was to read the reversals but knowing “the rule,” I decided to begin by reading the cards straight as if they were all upright.

Sun + Scythe suggested positive decisions leading to success (Key) and improved circumstances (Stork). Book + Whip suggested repetitive projects, or “whipping out projects,” one after the other. So the cards (read as if they were all upright) seemed to be saying that I should begin by making positive decisions and whipping out my projects one after the other to achieve success and a positive change in circumstances.

But that interpretation left me a little flat.

I kept staring at those three reversed cards and suddenly it hit me. The reversed cards were highlighting the facts that I was not making decisions, let along good ones (reversed ScytheSun), and that I was not cranking out projects one after the other (reversed BookWhip). And as long as I was not making positive decisions nor cranking out projects, I would not achieve a successful change of circumstances (Key + reversed Storks).

The reversed Lenormand cards clearly revealed what I needed to do in a way I might have missed had all the cards been in their upright positions.

Once again, I couldn’t help but shake my head in amazement at how helpful (not to mention literal) Lenormand cards can be.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

 

Lenormand Relationship Advice: Online Dating?

 

A divorced female who’s been out of the dating scene for a few years is being nagged by her adult children to sign up for an online dating service.

She’s been resisting the idea but admits it sounds intriguing. Can the cards tell her if this is a good idea for her or not?

Lenormand Advice Relationship Issue: Online Dating? http://livingwithcards.com
Lenormand Advice Relationship Issue: Online Dating?

 

Since there are few decisions or choices in life that are irreversible, as I mixed the cards, I certainly wasn’t anticipating the answer would be particularly negative.

On the contrary, after turning over the first four cards in a Line of 5 layout, the commentary seemed quite positive.

The fifth card, 36 Cross, however, brought my thought process to a screeching halt, and the base card, 11 Whip, offered no comfort.

 

Lenormand Cards Piatnik 27 Letter - 20 Garden - 24 Heart - 35 Anchor - 36 Cross - 11 Whip http://livingwithcards.com
27 Letter – 20 Garden – 24 Heart – 35 Anchor – 36 Cross – 11 Whip

Mlle. Lenormand Jeu de destin No. 194115 (c) 1986 Piatnik

 

Ouch.

How cruel of this Line of 5 to end in 36 Cross, a card of grief, pain and burdens, when the preceding cards pointed to social interactions and dates (Letter + Garden) and love (Heart), possibly even long-lasting or permanent love (Heart + Anchor).

The cards, however, clearly suggested the “permanency” (Anchor) of the relationship would become a burden (Cross) and the querent would ultimately regret her foray into the social world of online dating (Anchor to the left of Cross).

Whip as the base card (bottom card of the shuffled deck) spoke of arguments, strife, animosity and perhaps even emotional abuse (Heart + Whip) on the increase.

I pulled one final card to illuminate the result and 12 Birds showed up, suggesting worry, stress, anxiety and disappointment with a relationship started via online dating.

Lenormand Piatnik 12 Birds
12 Birds

 

When I explained what the cards were saying, the querent was silent for a moment. Then she thoughtfully replied that she wasn’t really that surprised, for the cards had mirrored her inner conviction that another relationship (whether initiated online or through more conventional means) would ultimately prove to be oppressive and burdensome.

She actually seemed somewhat relieved that the cards didn’t give her a green light!

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

Lenormand Daily Draw: Whip, Mountain, Garden, Ring, Sun, Tree

Tuesday afternoon my younger daughter texted, inviting me over for coffee. I blew her off, weakly promising her catch up with her “tomorrow.”

Wednesday morning, I pulled the following Lenormand cards for my daily draw:

11 Whip - 21 Mountain - 20 Garden - 25 Ring - 31 Sun - 5 Tree
11 Whip – 21 Mountain – 20 Garden – 25 Ring – 31 Sun – 5 Tree

Mlle. Lenormand Jeu de destin No. 194115 (c) 1986 Piatnik

 

As the central card in the draw, 20 Garden suggested some socializing was on the agenda. 11 Whip + 21 Mountain showed the recent past: action (Whip) delayed (Mountain), and the cards to the right of 20 Garden suggested a commitment (Ring) would be kept or honored (Sun).

As I’ve mentioned before, in addition to drawing a Line of 5, I often use the base card (bottom card of the shuffled deck) to clarify the reading or show additional information. In this draw, 5 Tree as the clarification or additional information suggested I would “reach out” (Tree) and fulfill my social obligations (Mountain + Garden + Ring).

 

What Actually Happened:

It turned out to be a bright, sunny day (Sun). This went a long way in  improving my mood and bolstering my energy levels, making it easier for me to get off my duff, overcome my inertia (Whip + Mountain) and fulfill my social obligations (Mountain + Garden + Ring) by “reaching out” to family (Tree).

The visit (Garden) with my younger daughter and grandson turned out to be fun and I was glad I had “reached out” (Tree).

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

Lenormand Cards Address Money Question: Sun, Whip, Lilies, Clouds

A female querent recently deposited a significant (to her) amount of money into a money market account and wanted to know “Will the money grow?” Basically, she wondered whether she’d be able to leave it be, gathering interest, or whether she would have to begin withdrawing amounts here and there, sadly watching it dwindle away.

I decided to draw three Lenormand cards plus a clarification card to address her issue. Prior to selecting the cards, I mentally superimposed 15 Bear on the central card position, since 15 Bear represents financial resources and investments. That way, whatever card appears in the central position is located in the House of the Bear, and its meaning is combined with the meaning of 15 Bear.

I drew:

31 Sun - 11 Whip - 30 Lilies - 6 Clouds
31 Sun – 11 Whip – 30 Lilies – 6 Clouds

Mystical Lenormand (c) 2005, 2007 – AGM-Muller

 

The cards suggested there could be financial gain (Sun) through repetitive deposits or regular monthly interest (Whip, in the House of 15 Bear) to the account, resulting in a slow build-up (Lilies) of money. Whip + Clouds, however, raised a red flag that the querent may lack a certain sense of direction. 6 Clouds by itself as clarification or additional information suggested the outcome may be changeable or unpredictable.

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Notice that if you add the numerical values of the chosen Lenormand Cards, 31 + 11 + 30 + 6, you get 78 = 7 + 8 = 15 which equals 15 Bear — the subject of this reading and the card that was mentally superimposed upon the central card (Whip) of the 3 card draw.  This gives more weight to the necessity of regular deposits to the account and/or monthly interest to produce the outcome the querent desires.

*******************************

I told the querent I was  concerned about the lack of direction and/or uncertainty indicated by the clarification card, 6 Clouds. It seemed to me that the money could grow slowly, either through regular deposits to the account and/or repeated monthly interest (Sun + Whip + Lilies), but that she hadn’t made a firm decision yet (Clouds) as to whether she would begin withdrawing from the account before it had a chance to grow. I suggested she might want to focus on finding ways to prevent withdrawal from happening, assuming her prevailing desire was to have the funds grow.

The querent agreed the cards mirrored her situation quite accurately, as at the present time, she was uncertain (Clouds) as to whether she could continue to fund the account or if she was going to have to begin withdrawing from it.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins